News

The budapest-based electronica duo, Belau now returns with a heartwarming new single from the upcoming and long-awaited sophomore full-length featuring the legendary Sophie Barker from UK, who was best known from one of the band’s top inspirational record, ‘Simple Things’ by Zero 7.

Belau // Péter Kedves, Krisztián Buzás ESSENCE – THE SONG

Vocals: Sophie Barker

Music: Péter Kedves

Lyrics: Krisztián Buzás

Mixing and mastering: Marci Kováts

Artwork: Krisztián Buzás

ESSENCE – MUSIC VIDEO Director: Péter P. Szabó / http://www.pszabop.com/ Assistant: Tamás Kőrösi Drone: Peter Malmgren Stylist: Steffanie Mery, Szilvi Murányi Models: Christine Andersson, Emese Kárász, Szilvi Murányi

Filmed in Sweden and Hungary 2019.

DIGITAL ACCESS / STREAMING

Apple Music: https://apple.co/2WBw0wv

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2H9nyxV

Deezer: https://bit.ly/2JsXfWl

BE SOCIAL website: http://www.belaumusic.com/ facebook: https://facebook.com/belaumusic/ instagram: https://instagram.com/belau_music/ bandcamp: https://belau.bandcamp.com/

We checked out their ep and we loved the lofi hiphop vibe. well worth checking out their soundcloud and getting into their beats n tings’

I love making music but it seriously sucks having a minimal amount of people listening when i feel like my quality is there and im finally making the music ive always wanted and am proud of. This is an album i made to mirror the darker hip hop instrumentals of the 90s largely inspired by mobb deeps production i wanted it to almost be like a movie soundtrack and i think its a good way to lose yourself in what living in that dark world would be like for 20 mins i have a more upbeat groovy album im really interested in getting out there as well if you end up liking this 🙂

Location: los angeles
Favorite producers: pete rock, statik selektah , havoc.
Influences: Funk, Disco, ambient, early to mid 90s hip hop (mostly east coast)

little is known but we loved the lofi vibe of their tracks. Thanks for the submission Alta Xero.,

social
hi im a lonley boy from Chile haha, and i just make music everytime i breath
ty for readme

I’m 19 and from a small town called Swindon in the UK. A lot of lo-fi influences mixed with smooth R&B. Some of my influences have been Madlib, Dilla and Clams Casino.
One of my favourite songs of all time is Frank Oceans Pink matter.
Smooth with a slight lo-fi distorted touch.

https://www.instagram.com/yung_dilla1/
https://saveme11.bandcamp.com/releases

Hiphop producer and drummer based in Strasbourg, GBO takes us to the high gear in a dreamlike contemporary epopee. We love the mature , well produced tunes and think it’s worthy of everyones rotation.

A young Belgian artist living in Vilvoorde. They are currently trying different kinds of music genres and don’t really have a favorite track at the moment because they like listening to every genre out there.

But right now, I’m in my Lo-Fi moments. What I really want is to become an artist that doesn’t have limits, that can produce everything he imagined perfectly. I remember being at my cousin’s house and we were having fun making some music 4 years ago. It was the first time ever I really was in touch with music. Sinds then, I can’t really live without listening to music and making it. I’d like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my music.

Well we really enjoyed the vibe from their lofi beats so check out this new fresh unknown artist…

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lofi/expiremental/chillhop producer from cold cold Sweden, usually making the beats without samples.
Inspiration comes from a lot of different genres, anything from jazz and classical to boombap to uk garage to ambient.

twitter
bandcamp

My name is Jon Pablo.
Jon like what my mama named me and Pablo like Picasso and Escobar.
I’m from a little town in Pennsylvania called Carlisle.
I grew up listening to my older brothers play Cypress Hill, Outkast and WuTang in the mid 90s and was still listening to The Lost Boyz, AZ, Nas and Cormega in the early 2000s while simultaneously falling in love with trap from people like Jeezy, TI, and Gucci Mane.
Ive been making music off and on since a roommate showed me propellerheads reason in 2008.
I just started getting into lofi and i also make trap-y retrowave-ish stuff.

https://jonpablo.bandcamp.com/

Hey!
I go by Yung Cody and I’m a lofi/trap producer from Long Beach, CA.

I’m heavily influenced by just Anime overall.

Artists like Nujabes, really had an impact on me growing and I was hoping to not replicate but use their techniques to craft my own songs.

My main goal with my Lofi tracks is to set a mood and draw a picture in your mind that takes you to the place that I was in when I made the track.

https://www.instagram.com/yungcody_/

tin chak submission hit us in the face like kanye west and his hype twitter posts. These tracks are sublime lo-fi hiphop baps that we want to spread on our loaf!
sit back and enjoy

it’s ya boi from Vancouver
insta: @tinchakivancheng

Jung Fellaz are a beat-making duo based out of Calgary, Alberta. Growing up they were introduced to a variety of musical influences ranging from soul, punk, metal, and classic rock. For much of their teens their musical projects consisted of primarily punk and blues bands as well as limited electronic releases before they ultimately turned our heads in the direction of hip-hop beats.

We began to transition away from our most recent rock band to Jung Fellaz in the summer of 2017 and released our first beat tape in March 2018. In our music as Jung Fellaz we strive to blend our favourite aspects of sample-based beats with our own acoustic recordings, frequently creating a sample-based loop then writing and recording guitar, bass and drums on top of it.

You can also keep up to date with future projects on our Instagram page

Lil bow pete just really likes making beats, especially the boom bap/old school style. He takes influence from the greats like J Dilla, Madlib, Knxwledge, etc. Not  limited to hip hop exclusively, he really just like music production in general.

Not much else is known about the elusive fresh beatmaker lil bow pete but here at chillsky we love his lofi hiphop.

POW POW POW into the inbox came this Canadian lofi magician going under the moniker of ‘sushileaf’.

Sushileaf has been producing music for just over a year now; he picked up FL Studio in February of 2017.

Hailing from Toronto, Canada. Up in the cold and friendly north!

Growing up, he spent a lot of time listening to alternative music and the current rap styles at the time (Mudvayne, Linkin Park, Slipknot, 50 Cent, Nelly, Chingy etc).Brother influenced him ventures into the more roots hip-hop by exposing him to A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Mobb Deep, and many other hip-hop legends from that earlier time period. This stuck with him, and gave sushileaf a deep love for that 90s style sound.

About a year and a half ago, he found lofi hip-hop while exploring some vaporwave channels on youtube. I liked vaporwave, but it wasn’t exactly right for me. Something felt like it was missing, until I found lofi hip-hop.

I quickly dove through many of the ‘leading’ producers in the genre, such as eevee, bsd.u, jhfly, wun two, jinsang, and j^p^n; I was blown away. This was the music that quickly became top of the list for my listening pleasure.

Then one day, at a visit with a relative, a cousin of mine showed me FL Studio. She was using it for a highschool project. I became so interested! The software looked really cool, and I had to know more. She ended up having a spare copy of the program which she let me take. She knew I loved music, and thought why not!

I had never considered creating music before, but once I installed FL Studio on my pc for the first time, and watched a couple tutorials on the basics… I was hooked. For the past year I have opened the software almost every single day and it has been a wonderful journey and learning experience!

I’ve come to somewhat find my own sound I think (but am always experimenting), and I am so greatful for the support and feedback I have been getting! I never knew it was possible!

I hope many more get to enjoy the music I put out there.

Cheers!

Oh, also, I create all my artwork. It’s not 100% from scratch (source images), but I do excel with digital compositions. I’ve been working with photoshop as a hobby for over 15 years.

SPOTIFY
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0SrLEordSQuRgOJWdUv9ey

BANDCAMP
https://sushileaf.bandcamp.com

TWITTER
https://twitter.com/sushileaf

INSTAGRAM
https://www.instagram.com/sushileafbeats

Fresh for 2018 we have druid from the UK , bring flaky beats and chillhop treats that we just loveeeeeeee. sit back and check out the rest of his tracks.

lofi hip hop producer from birmingham, uk
influenced by ambient music, boom bap, jazz, soul and copious amounts of weed and tea.

https://soundcloud.com/druidproducer
druidbeats.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1TdXwGMZuFrMWwqGqDSIZq

[alert type=green ]Tracks submissions are now open for 2018 [/alert].

Got some decent lofi beats and chilled treats then hit the submit button and we will do our best here at chillsky to feature you on the site and drop you into rotation on our radio stream.

[button color=”red” size=”big” alignment=”center” rel=”follow” openin=”samewindow” url=”https://www.chillsky.com/submit-track/”]SUBMIT[/button]

My name is Afrosamuraiist and I am a producer from south-west London. I produce a variety of genres varying from trap to hiphop to EDM. As an artist, I pride myself on being both unique and versatile. I started producing music around a year and a half ago and have been in deep ever since.
This track is a collaboration including myself and North Dakota, providing a chilled lofi flip to ‘Dangerous’ by Busta Rhymes.

https://www.facebook.com/Afrosamuraiist
https://twitter.com/Afrosamuraiist
https://www.instagram.com/afrosamuraiist/

NTRLY & Loris Mils are two beatmakers from Genova, Italy and part of the team Midnight Espresso. After “Moon Phases Vol.1: New Moon”, with the whole team, they produced “What if You find Love (in Outer Space)?” in 2017.

youtube
site

FulKost is a 21 year old, MC, songwriter and producer from Coventry, UK. Having studied at university in Leeds he has expanded his fanbase north of his hometown and is continuing to grow with each release. He dropped his first mixtape ‘From Way Back When’ in September 2015 which has given him a platform on which to build and is currently taking time to work on his first studio album as well as continuing to work hard building his fan base by performing at low key events and expanding his online presence.

FulKost is influenced by a huge range of genres and music. Lofi producers such as Jinsang and Nymano, as well as his brother Lowky fall high on the list. He is also inspired by neo-jazz groups such as Hiatus Kaiyote and Moonchild. Constantly on a mission to perfect his craft, FulKost is obsessed with sound frequencies and how they combine to form sounds that are sonically pleasing.

HT making beats for about 4 years now, and making lofi boom bap type beats for about 2-3, but never bothered about promotion. To me, the actual making of music was always most important, but now I would love to have other people hear my music and get the same enjoyment from listening to it as I do creating it. Some of my biggest influences production wise are MF Doom, RZA, J Dilla, Nujabes, and clams casino.
Twitter

The Muppets perform their version of the Ol’ Dirty Bastard classic, “Shimmy Shimmy Ya.” Starring Dr. Teeth as ODB, featuring Electric Mayhem. Video by Mylo the Cat, aka the guy who did the Beastie Boys/Muppets mashup and the Gonzo/Humpty Dance.

Austin Carter aka Centipede is a lofi beatsmith hailing from St. Louis Missouri. The prodigy of a musical family, young Austin’s influences were J Dilla, Pete Rock, and DJ Premier – along with Jazz, R&B, and Soul from his Grandfather.
Currently, he produces prolific, experimental, original music with a soulful flow and a lo-fi edge.
As an active member of Vibe Music Collective, his improvisational live performances are filled with eclectic danceable rhythms and good vibes.
Through his own vision, he wants to convert every kind of emotion into sound and share it with the world.
The method to his madness is the science to his serenity.

twitter

My name is Gabriel Bero aka GentleBeatz, I am 21 years old from Mozambique currently located in South Africa studying Computer Science at Pearson Institute.

I started producing back in 2011 while in high school, I use to make beats just as hobby until when I started college, my friends always wondered why was I studying computer science and asked me if I ever considered doing music full time. I can play the piano a little bit.

I am introvert, I spend most of my time making beats in my bedroom or just listen to chilled music. I recently released an ep of piano-based lo-fi music called Beatherapy, vol. 1, it is avaliable in all streaming services and music stores.

My influences coming up are: nina simone,2pac, kendrick lamar, dr dre, dj premier,kanye west, apollo brown, azagaia, bob marley, idealism,jhfly, eevee, sophie meiers.

Favourite song: idealism – ikigai, jhfly – lavender town, sophie miers – lazy eyes.

Social Media links
https://www.facebook.com/gentlebeatz
https://twitter.com/gentlebeatz
https://www.instagram.com/gentlebeatz/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaSAEX6RCS-IY6kRvy2Ur2A
https://soundcloud.com/gentle-beatz

https://gentlebeatz.bandcamp.com/
http://www.deezer.com/us/artist/13387317
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/gentlebeatz/id1292947926

https://twitter.com/GabeRDB
https://www.instagram.com/gabeshominove/

nynamo-solitude
nymano-women
idealism-lonely

Influenced by the Sights and sounds of Los Angeles.
Music that takes you to another place whether it be past or present is What influences me.

wearemachines.bandcamp.com

Meister Eder a fresh lofi producer from Germany – check out his beats.

We get lots of submissions here at chillsky and we listen to each and every track. Once in a while though we come across a pioneer a legend in the making an unknown fruit waiting to be picked from the garden of eden. Today we found that fruit my friends and it taste sweet as fcuk.

Mr Goldenfolds beats, loops, vibes chords send a tingle down my pumpkin skin in a way not felt since Jdilla days.

Mr. Goldenfold is a lofi/boombap producer from upstate, NY.

His influences are J Dilla, Malib, Flamingosis, and Pretty Lights.

he crafts his tunes. using the sp404sx, NI Maschine, and a micro Korg among other things. Check him out on Facebook and Instagram

Sit back and listen to these..

Australian producer who is into all things hiphop/chillhop/lofi
Chilled lofi hiphop grooves, with a jazzy/lounge feel.
Influences include The Deli, Wun Two, Flughand, Mt. Fujitive, Dill Withers, Flofilz, Tuamie, Tomppabeats

New Album on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6sL0FgbybToISSSMXDolu0
Also Apple Music, Soundcloud

Hello ! I chose the name hate.u because of my depression and anxiety that I have when I am around some people. I probably a horrible person for having such things, but I find at peace and enjoyment of my time when I am making my music.

So my music influence you can say is nujabes, he was one of the hiphop artists that I listened to and got attached to this kind of music. I never thought about making music, but I always had that groovy moody vibe whenever I am near good music, I guess you can say it is natural for me to make music.

I also love listening to Joji , best original artist ever, he has so much uniqueness in his music.

Twitter : https://twitter.com/fijigodd

KiD from palermo, Italy, did this beat in a saddest moment of their life. my dream is to share my emotions with everybody, I hope you like it.

instagram
http://instagram.com/maurofenoaltea

Full TRACKS:

Im a producer originally influenced by artists such as Gramatik, MF DOOM, Madlib, and RJD2. I’ve currently been on a Jinsang kick. I’m an artist from Louisville, Kentucky, and have started producing Hip-Hop since I was a sophomore in High School. You can keep up with me on SoundCloud:
www.soundcloud.com/exebeats and Twitter: www.twitter.com/mccartney_riley.

My name is Bu$hi (short for bushido)
I’m a Vibe Creator based out of Rochester, New York.
Music influences I have would be J dilla, Madlib, MF Doom, Alchemist, RZA, and Nujabes.
My all time favorite tracks are Mighty Healthy by Ghostface Killah, The Hop by ATCQ, Figaro by MF Doom, Self Conscious by Nas and Prodigy, and Notorious B.I.G Somebody’s Gotta Die.

there is nothing much about me.
my music influenced by jazz maybe cause I like jazz very much .
my fav track change overtime lol. I can’t list all of it here 🙂
you can find me on instagram & twitter: mellowrascal
I’m a malaysian btw.
vist my soundcloud page i often do Lo-Fi Hip Hop.
I do electronic music but not as much as hip hop
I hope u featured me on this website cause i want people to listen to my music.
I put emotion and feelings in my music .

Artist name is Soft Eyez and i am a small LoFi producer, my influences are Sleepdealer and Flavors.

Full tracks.

looking at you with s o f t e y e z
Go check out my free album K U S Oくそ
softeyez.bandcamp.com/album/k-u-s-o
Contact: officialfkn@gmail.com

My inspiration comes from listening to Cookie Monster Galaxy, Aso, 97SPECIAL, EEVEE, Mittens and APO ザ · 犬.

I am from Venezuela. 19 years

no social links given so check out their soundcloud for their latest beats.

hi there, i’m a rapper named coldpizza, and this is my newest single “slow dance”. it’s a collaborative effort from myself, baby boy, michael swamp, and foresthgk. baby boy and myself did the vocals, michael swamp produced the beat, and foresthgk made the artwork. this single is out now on an alternative hip-hop label that i started called grape records. we’re based out of ny and nc, but we have artists all over the us in over twelve states.

http://www.twitter.com/itscoldpizza , http://www.twitter.com/babyboycline , http://www.twitter.com/mikeyswamp , http://www.twitter.com/foresthgk .

here’s a link to my most popular beat with over 10k plays: https://www.soundcloud.com/itscoldpizza/iridelyft

some of my favorite artists are MF DOOM, earl sweatshirt, quasimoto, flying lotus, samiyam, frank ocean, milo, open mike eagle, and jonwayne

Exclusive interview with lofi artist eveline aka eevee.
Please can you say a little bit about yourself, eg age, location etc.

I live in the Netherlands in a town called Dordrecht. I’m 24 years old. In my free time I like to make beats, hang with friends, travelling and sometimes go to the gym.

What drew you to making music that eventually led you to making your beats?

First I wanted to learn how to dj. I did that for 3 months and I bought a new laptop and there was a music program on it. Very basic with loops I started with that and I like it. My ex boyfriend was a producer and he put fl studio on my pc and I start working with that. He learned me how fl studio kind of worked. I practice every day, I liked it so much it stopped learning to dj and just focus on my music. And thats how it all began. Now 4 years later I’m here 🙂

Why do you enjoy about the beatmaking process?

I like that it give me peace it brings me to a other world. I can’t explain it really it just feels fine. I really like to work with samples and make something new with it.

You have a nice following on soundcloud etc at what point did you realise you had a talent that people seemed to enjoy?

I just like to make beats and upload them. It’s nice to see that people enjoy it. Idk if I feel like I have talent, I work hard for it but for me it stills feel I can learn much about music productions. The feedback I get from my fans draw me to continue this and try to grown.

Can you remember your first live show and how did it go?

Yes, It was in the Netherlands in a town the Hague. It was a fashion event, the released a new clothing line. I was so nervous but it went good, and I had a lovely evening.

Any tips for budding SP404 users?

I had a lot on the manual of the sp 404 haha. So I think if you start it’s good to read it. And just try to explore it and find your sound. It’s a really nice machine.

Who are your music influences?

J Dilla, Nujabes, Clams Casino, Crystal Castles, and a lot of soundcloud producers.

Whats a perfect weekend for you ?

Take a long nap, wake up make some beats, later they day chill with friends, maybe go to a party and get drunk 🙂

Whats your latest music available and where can people get it?

My ep called seeds, you can buy the digital ep on bandcamp:
https://eeveebeats.bandcamp.com/album/seeds

And the digital ep + cassete on Inner Ocean Records:

https://inneroceanrecords.bandcamp.com/album/eevee-seeds

You can check eevee on her social links below.

Leekix is a producer from Houston, Texas whose been making beats for 6 years now. Their main inspirations for making beats are because his brother was making them and they always wanted to make beats that had that Adult Swim vibe to them. He’s have produced a couple tracks for Pro Era(Capital Steez and Joey Bada$$ mainly) and The Underachievers.
soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/leekix96
Bandcamp: https://leekixthegr8.bandcamp.com/
Twitter: @LeekixThaGr8

Cassoville hit us up on instagram , hes from Siloam Springs, United States and is a rapper but we also loved his beats and thought he was worth a pimp on chillsky. Check out his soundcloud for more tuneage. Keep making beats.

Bluefunkbeat from Seattle, WA, hit our inbox and his lofi beats hit us in the face like a wet kipper.

As an added bonus check out his soundcloud for some vaporware tunage..

Bluefunkbeat : “Older influences would defiantly go to greats like Kanye, Pharrell, and Madlib. More recently I find I draw a lot of influence in not only my music but the way I see life from Frank Ocean, Knxwledge, Jinsang, BROCKHAMPTON, and much of the beat scene currently coming out of LA.”

Currently, some of my favourite songs that come to mind and that I’ve been playing heavily are
Famous – Curen$y
Sunny – Brockhampton
First Glance – B0nds
LakFaith – Knxwledge
Pothole – Tyler, the Creator
Landscaping – Milo

https://blufunk.bandcamp.com/releases

Mark (Marviltron) based in Chicago. He just released a lofi hiphop track titled “feels” featuring Angeloop and although it looks like his only lofi tune we hope its the start of something great. Keep making the beats..

“Feels” is about finding your happy place, chillin, relaxing — perfect mood to start the Fall. The visual was taken during a kite festival near Uptown, Chicago of this year. It will be released to iTunes, Spotify, etc. on Labor Day.

YouTube:

www.marviltron.com

Jpro (or JuanitoPro), has always performed hiphop beats and sought perfection in sound, but now he has done 5 beats in lo-fi, looking for beauty in noise, distortion and low fidelity. These beats are very simple, wanting to reflect the difficulty that had the old hiphop producers to realise their productions due to the little technology in this scope.
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/juanitopro Twitter

Coming from a background of aggressive music – having played guitar for hardcore/death metal bands professionally previously. Dead Calloway began making beats only recently, but has really gravitated towards it. His current favourite producers are Heizzah and eevee.

instagram: dead_calloway@

Check out his mellow beats .

Aftermind is a 20 year old multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and producer from London. He started out producing Indie and Hip Hop music before discovering the lofi scene and aims to fuse influences from Lofi, Hip Hop, Indie and R&B to create an original sound. Think Bon Iver x bsd.u x Frank Ocean.

https://www.soundcloud.com/aftermindmusic
https://www.instagram.com/aftermind.music
https://www.twitter.com/aftermind_
https://www.facebook.com/aftermindmusic

Whats up?
Cool.
Okay bye.

Thats all we got from peatu a beatmaker from Finland.

We loved the chilled tone and the total lofi quality blended into each track.

Enjoy

socials

bandcamp

lo.nely hit us up with a track and we felt their tracks stood up to be featured even though it wasnt requested.

Check out their beats! l.i.t !!

Socials :

https://soundcloud.com/lonely210
https://twitter.com/FValentinnn_

Fresh Blood Volume 10 featuring some great tracks by the freshest talent music producers.

All artists submitted tracks and these are the ones that passed the chillsky filter. Some are featured some didnt respond some just wanted to promote a single track. Enjoy.

Glypht ‘Just a bouncing mess of waves from New Zealand currently making my way through Malaysia.

https://soundcloud.com/glypht/lo-fi-way-you-move

stuntin. – idk i rlly like to make music

https://soundcloud.com/tuckward/stuntin

Nick Lewis fIsh[n]grIts is the first installment in Nick Lewis’s #FreeMusicFriday series, leading up to the release of his debut project, THIS IS NOT A BEAT TAPE, releasing in the fall.

xmas party – ‘xmas party’ is a semi-anonymous group comprised of one or more producers and musicians located in various parts of the globe. The brainchild of it’s lead member (who wishes to remain nameless), xmas party utilizes a sleek aesthetic consisting of marble, gold, and other luxurious images.

Chimu a 16year old artist figuring shit out.

Kiddus.

Nathaniel Music.

Tim.  Just finished this track called “caress you”.

Graves.

fIsh[n]grIts is the first installment in Nick Lewis’s #FreeMusicFriday series, leading up to the release of his debut project, THIS IS NOT A BEAT TAPE, releasing in the fall. As a producer, Nick has worked with Brainfeeder artists the Underchievers, even helping them secure a place on SPIN’s Best Rap Song list of 2013. Since, Nick has devoted his talents to helping build a budding rap scene in Dallas, TX. Nick has worked with many of the bigger bubbling names coming from Dallas, and has even done work with local legend, NWA’s D.O.C. Nick, as part of Dallas collective Team From Nowhere, has recently re-connected with Brainfeeder after their perfomance drew the attention of Flying Lotus at Fortress Festival in Fort Worth, Texas.

Tactilian is an American musician and producer currently residing in Vientiane, Laos. Originally drawn to guitar-driven genres such as punk and hardcore as a teen, his tastes gradually broadened, bringing him into various styles of as jazz, funk/soul, psychedelic rock, and hip-hop. His tracks pull from these various genres to create a sonic palette that is at once wide and difficult to label.
As a hip-hop producer, his biggest influences come from several artists who made their mark during the 90s, including the Dust Brothers’ work with the Beastie Boys, Gangstarr, and Nujabes.

TiM is a 19 y/o producer from Newcastle, Australia , he submitted a track to chillsky rotation and we felt his tracks stood their ground to be featured. His influences are Elijah Who, Joji, Jinsang & Kanye West

Socials:

Soundcloud

instagram

Graves is a beatmaker from San Francisco and Los Angeles.

He’s been making beats for about two years now and mainly influenced by artists like flylo and sleepyeyes.

He grew up watching adult swim and would also hear the bumps they did inbetween shows and always thought they were tight as hell so he got into making beats when he was pretty young and only started gettin serious about it the last two years.

If you wanna follow him here’s his instagram and my SC
https://soundcloud.com/gravesss
https://www.instagram.com/yaboigraves/

Hey Its a k u m a here and I am having an album coming out in a couple of months and decided to submit one of the new tracks that will be featured on the new album! Im glad to be on chillsky and yeah, Thanks for listening!

akuma is also on tape 1 – the first edisode of chillsky podcast.

Another selection of the finest choice of beatmakers. These artists are beat guru’s waiting for you to connect.

up & coming beatmaker/ producer from San Diego, CA working to get his art out there. Have a listen to this track off his new beat tape.

Tommy Hil hit us up on instagram @chillsky and we dipped into his soundcloud and came out the other end a new person.

Tommy hil has a great beat tape available on his soundcloud and for purchase on bandcamp – It’s a must for any lofihiphop followers.

Oui lele is a lo-fi hip hop and new wave hip hop producer from Thessaloniki ,Greece . His influences draw from other lo-fi hip hop producers as well as from lo-fi house ,future bass , trap , and r&b artists . He produce’s lo-fi hip hop as standalone instrumentals , but he’s  also into new school hip hop producing for other artists , . it’s been less than a year since he started producing seriously , so he’s  still in a quest defining my sound and learning stuff about sound design .Oui lele is  currently looking forward to the release of his second beat tape and playing some live sets.

Socials

tracktrain : http://traktrain.com/ouilele

Bionsen a 21 yrs music producer from Italy. I produce beats in my bedroom using Ableton live 9 and with midi controllers and synth. I published my first Beat-Tape “Kunai Park” in February 2017 but i started producing many years ago. Im also going to release another Beat-Tape soon.

Inglorious RIC is a Hip Hop producer and artist from NYC. He is part of the Hip Hop group, The Lower Class Citizens. Earlier this year he dropped his BeatTape “Corrupted Data” and is currently working on a few other releases for this year.
soundcloud.com/ingloriousric
instagram.com/ingloriouslcc
lccnyc.com

Another submission and another artist who is just wayyy undervalued on soundcloud. This guy is legit hype hiphop beat machine.! We love his tracks and we are sure you will sub his soundcloud for future releases.

@phdbeats is a boom bap, lofi hiphop producer out of San Diego, California (US). His influences draw from DJ Premier, Pete Rock, J Dilla, Q-Tip, and 9th Wonder. All inquiries should be sent to phdbeats[@]yahoo.com

In recent years one of hip-hop’s key, yet least documented, practices has become one of its most celebrated. Beat tapes, a collection of sometimes unfinished instrumental productions designed to showcase a producer’s skills, have today become an accepted release format as popular as their close relative, the mixtape. It wasn’t always like this however, so how did a practice that was once the preserve of the nerdiest hip-hop kids – right up there with scratch practice – become an established release format?

Let’s take it back to the old school

Attempting to trace a history of the beat tape in hip-hop is tricky. All the producers I’ve spoken to in the past agree on various elements of its evolution as a practice, yet there seems to be little to no information on where, when, how and with whom it might have originated. One thing is sure: the concept of beat tapes is likely to have arisen at some point in the ’80s when hip-hop music and culture took flight from its New York birthplace.

Speaking to Primus Luta (whose recent piece on Dilla and beat tapesinspired my own), I’ve strung together a possible origin story. It perhaps starts with Fab Five Freddy and the Wild Style sessions. Primus argues that the Wild Style instrumental white label 12″ that Freddy had pressed to give DJs in New York at the time could be thought of as a proto-beat tape. From there I’d argue demo tapes could be seen as a real precursor to what would come to be known as beat tapes: rough versions of beats that could be passed around for MCs to write/practice to or to showcase a producer’s beats and lead to a potential release. See this 2009 interview with Large Professor for his dislike of old demos getting released on vinyl. Like beat tapes, these were never meant to be publicly heard.

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S i M from Stroud in England, UK.
He’s been producing for just over 2 years now but has always been into music since a young age.
SiM love simple, head nod beats with nostalgic undertones from strings and synths in old records.
There’s nothing better than going out at the weekend and getting dusty fingers, going through the vinyl crates in town, hoping to find hidden gems for my next track.
He’s just had Portland up and coming rapper, Myke Bogan release a track over one of my beats:.

his vibe is epic and we salute you S i M we salute you. Check out his full soundcloud for more gems.

Another wave of subissions hitting chillsky and we are delighted with the talent! Spend a few moments checking out these artists.

Sometimes you do find a use out of social media. In this case it was instagram where we followed Lakey Inspired @lakeyinspired and really digged his beats and a quick msg to and fro we are happy to feature Lakey and his sample ridden beat clerical here at chillsky.

Jordan, aka LAKEY INSPIRED. Currently lives in Chandler, AZ & Lakey produce music. Mostly produce “Chill Hop”. Uploading a new song every week.

His goal is to spread positive music with the world & inspire others to create.

S A M P L E P A C K
Spotify
Patreon

For the lofi vibe with that jazzy influence we had to check out Melocat’s beats and samples and we feel his tracks standup in their own right worthy of Inspector Morse investigation.

melocat – 28 years old, born and raised in the UK. First got into making hip hop as a teenager listening to Gangster Rap. Later discovered underground UK Hip Hop and then the beat makers themselves. Fell in love with instrumentals, Hip hop’s Jazz roots and what the genres represented. After coming across the sub-genre ‘LoFi – Hiphop’ he quickly realised the potential for expressing experiences and feelings that had not been available to him before. Becoming a parent and settling down played a major part in his life… and his music. Nowadays you’ll find him sitting down on a Friday evening with a cup of tea, listening to chilled beats. His influences include all the Hip hop and Jazz music that has made an everlasting impact on his life and all the beat makers doing their thing.

SOUNDCLOUD – https://soundcloud.com/user-135885360/tracks
FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/melocatbeats/
YOUTUBE – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNfUh0v3jUkoZpIcWqnLGGw

Another selection of the best track submissions to chillsky. Remember if you would like to be in rotation and possibly get featured on the website click the submit button up top and we will hook you up.

Iz has a deep Hip Hop history going back to rap cyphers on the street corners of the late 90’s. He has been a recording artist and performance artist since 2005. He was a member of various groups and projects, but released his first solo album in 2010 titled “Word Iz…” that garnered him a fair amount of notoriety worldwide among underground Hip Hop hop fans.

After years of experimenting and refining his craft he re-emerged in 2016 as “BKA Iz” with a new self titled album release, quickly followed by the “Groundwire EP” and “Blazing Terrain” in early 2017. His music is true to his roots; a vintage 90’s boom bap feel that meshes with modern Lo-Fi and Chillhop influence. He is described by his peers as a witty lyricist with heavy punchlines and is known for his eclectic beat slection.

Iz also has several other releases planned in 2017 – including his first beat tape and works behind the scenes on various projects for notable artists.

Links:

Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/bkaiz
IG: @bkaiz
Twitter: @thewordiz
Facebook.com/thewordiz

Check out these artists now in chillsky rotation. They are producer submissions and you must check out their other beats and lofi hiphop tracks on their sound clouds.
Each artist in their own right needs more exposure.

Sanko Beats aka Islam a north african, Algeria to be specific  21 years old, electrical engineer, but importantly one of the finest smoothest beat makers we have come across here at the Chillsky.

Sanko Beats counts tomppabeats, jinsang and error garner as his influences.

His tracks are dope and we sure hope he gets more exposure and he gets the recognition.

Trappola hit us up with a fresh track and we thought we must feature this artist!

Trappola is 21 years old and hes been producing music for a little over 7 years now. He started off making electronic dance music like dubstep, and trap. Eventually  moved onto hip-hop music, and then graduated into chilled out “lofi” style instrumentals. One of his biggest influences has to be Pete Rock. Pete Rock is an amazing producer from NY, one of the best, and has produced so many classic songs that Trappola has cherished over the years. You can hear Pete Rock boom bap influence on his drum patterns, and from the type of drum sounds Trappola prefers. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Trappola is a city person for sure. Love the hustle and bustle of the city. He claims to be  a nerd at heart, with a love superheroes and collecting comics/figures.

Here at chillsky we love his beats and lofi hiphop vibe and hes full tracks are worth an investigation.

These artists are now in rotation after track submissions. These are the freshest lofi hiphop beats this side of mars and you should def check out their soundclouds for dope beats.

Kamal Akeem hit us up with the track  Spaceships and it hit us in the face like a wet fish finding out Trump won the election. He is a music producer based out of the Southside of Birmingham, Alabama. He has been producing seriously since 2011 and uses FL Studio. He has created a sound that incorporates rap, soul samples, trap, chill, and house influences. He produces music for his local music scene, works with several internet vloggers, but primarily makes standalone instrumental music. He makes music because he enjoys the ability to express emotion through sound and giving others the chance to relate.

website

instagram

Check out his full works below , we struggled to find a bad beat/vibe. Keep producing Kamal keep producing…

Check out below Kama’s freshest beat tape.

Nova Drone aka Ryan is a 20 year old producer. His influences are many different lofi hiphop artist much like jinsang and bsd.u. He likes sampling a lot of different sounds to get that perfect beat. Nova Drone is fresh to the scene but in the future we are sure he will progress and make his tracks a whole lot better (if at all possible).
Be sure to check out his Instagram @supre.memes_ if you want to follow. (10k) dm himif you’d like to collab, He’s looking for rappers who would want to use my beats in their productions as well.

Heizzah is 22-year-old guy from Finland, living in Sweden. He’s been musically active since he was 10 years old. During his musical journey he’s been playing the trumpet in an orchestra, drums in a punk band and lately making beats. He wants to try as many things as possible and producing beats is what he’s most into at the moment. good for Chillsky!

his influences are from all over the place: from 90’s alt rock and grunge to Finnish hip hop and electronica.

For the time being, he’s just producing as much stuff as possible, trying to take his skills to the next level all the time.

@heikkihaahkala/
@heikkihaahkala

bornsexyy sent us a track submission and we thought his tracks hit the spot worthy of a feature.
He make music for fun and is a huge anime/cartoon/video game fan, and love meshing my interests with my music with arts/samples/themes etc. He’s being doing this for about 4/5 years, got no hardware, everything is done on Ableton. He also has a Maschine but not able to make stuff he likes on it yet!!! He spent the last 9 months or so cranking out tunes but not uploading online or anything. so yeah just starting to get back into the game a bit, do some mixes, working on making more visual stuff to go with music but so far its pretty shit!! He got a track on that compilation tape BLESS the other week too. as for weblinks just soundcloud and instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/bornsexyy/

Fresh Blood Volume 3 – these are the cream of the crop submitted artists whos lofi / chilled beats tickled our taste-buds at chillsky HQ and we need you to go check out their music.

All artists are now in rotation on the stream.

In no particular order :

This fresh submission came in and the beats hit us like a slap in the face. Great production. Andre likes to be diverse in his genres but we hope he makes plenty more lofi beats.

From his skilled production of Hip Hop, Pop and Electronic music to his ability to lyrically paint murals and accurately assess the world around him through earnest, thought-provoking lyrics as a songwriter; Andre Ramone is a creative with a unique musical perspective. Andre has passionately pursued opportunities to share his music with the world as a published music producer and composer signed to multiple music publishing companies. Through these affiliations, Andre has placed music in television shows such as, “Silicon Valley,” “Bizare Foods,” and MTV’s “Made.” Currently, Andre is working on his EDM debut and released the EDM Trap single, “Summer Wave.” Andre’s goal is to achieve success on his own terms while creating diverse styles of art that defy musical laws and cultural boundaries.

Twitter: @ ARamoneMusic
FB: AndreRamoneMusic
Insta: AndreRamoneMusic

In an effort to try to do some good in the world, IRecords gathered the fam to put together a mega compilation in order to raise some money to help people in Syria. 100% of proceeds will be donated to help support the White Helmets, people dedicated to saving lives affected by the ongoing war.

Hosted by Inner Ocean Records + O-NEI-RIC Tapes + Saikei Collective, we gathered 111 lofi tracks from 111 different artists. The compilation spans 2 fully loaded tapes with approximately 100 minutes per tape, totalling almost 4 hrs of super chilled beats

[button color=”red” size=”big” alignment=”center” rel=”follow” openin=”samewindow” url=”https://www.inneroceanrecords.com/products/bless-vol-1″]BUY NOW[/button]

Tracklist
Tape 1 Side A
1) am. – outer.rim
2) eevee – expose
3) knowmadic – rem cycles
4) axian – struggles
5) bunko stew – hide the pain
6) kawfee – patience
7) nohidea – thirteen (w/ idealism)
8) amorphe – yesterday is away
9) borealism – pacifico
10) arbour – in bloom
11) bilo 503 – off
12) furozh – letting go of distractions
13) sohee – firewatch
14) a’daleis – solem
15) sadiva – criminal mind
16) stlndrms – backpack
17) awlnight – hostel number
18) dominic pierce – pastel
19) iamalex – together
20) PRGMAT – feel
21) mora. – laika
22) mlvn – chains
23) m_ficus – omens
Tape 1 Side B
1) bryZone_ybp – the whole pack
2) kilamdapro – whispering winds pt. 2
3) bad juju – we don’t have to (fall in love)
4) don solo – i almost fell in love with you
5) ill.fitting – kneecap
6) oatmello – canopykeys
7) joeshort – a lighter note
8) fatvonfree – akiko’s lament
9) ℂo∆ch-Mo-TΣl – batlife
10) yxng cxmo – snail groove
11) vanguard one – giants
12) manako – silver
13) hikemah – thunderpeal
14) frith – under
15) yord – muhrman
16) zrthstra – i tried
17) tympanik – bridges burned
18) lost pages – u end me
19) panda llama – 3 in the afternoon
20) odeeno – blackcherry
21) snauwee – matadores
22) tired eyes – mica (ft. shower thoughts)
23) EMERLD – cashews
24) TRxTN – il est deja trop tard
25) yasu – piero
26) msnthrp – drowning
27) born sexy – lovesick
28) baechulgi – morning
Tape 2 Side A
1) yunnan – shapeyourmind
2) osamu – butterfly
3) shogonodo – i see what u mean
4) moonchill – arctic nightshift
5) ra ra raj – spring on jupiter
6) sp0kyy – walking
7) zemauno – smokye
8) niimo – ladies
9) phil – mellon collie
10) sesioM – pequeno
11) ping – finished
12) unseal – sneeze
13) stowe – eXtra
14) b33to – strgze
15) bedhead – the sunset
16) capotal – only right now
17) delt – glance
18) cjbeats – midnight mood
19) Dub 1 – oreos
20) slyme – smoke
21) DR.HAGEN – wumswums
22) SHHP – please
23) sundays – graves
24) earthchain – recollection
25) lo-fyclops – fuck with sunday nights
26) donalddrums – sequenz
27) goosetaf – woodgrain
28) leafcuts – hopes_dreams
29) youth – ブロックル
Tape 2 Side B
1) funkonami – kepler’s lullaby
2) moonlight – kultura epte
3) bean franklin – 187
4) axion117 – kaze
5) linanthem – lovin u
6) D.J. Kool Klone – stuck
7) ghostcheddar – newsdsd
8) lester, nowhere – resources
9) medacin – coast
10) adirondack – i just float
11) polar – the colour of your skin
12) unity – rough
13) spaaawn – sunken dream
14) third eye john – eastside hibernation
15) IKARUS – moon
16) [klsr] – cold day
17) MATSU 待つ – d u s k
18) pantalaim0n – 9 to 5
19) cold – hidden
20) knablinz – dugup
21) ridgewell – split
22) truehoustonemcee – contact
23) leftraeht – insomnia
24) dschulez – lush
25) ডহর – happy.thoughts
26) b2k – memories_
27) gaz korbier – de feu et de cendre
28) product – the final lullaby
29) nxmxd – TALK
30) senoy – five flowers
31) korosassu – just life

Here at chillsky we are on the lookout for fresh artists and tight music production and Eriq Betts hit us up to be added into the stream and we loved his tracks. They are tight and flow really well and you should checkout his soundcloud right now!

Jazzy, chilled and versatile are the most appropriate ways to describe his music. Whether it’s just a simple loop with beat to it or a more lush track with a string section, as long as the beat is dope, Eriq Betts will put it out into the world. Though new to Lo-fi Hip Hop, he is not new to music production having previously made beats from scratch for many years. After being inspired by the likes of Jinsang, Tomppabeats and FloFilz he has decided to focus his energies on making sample-based music. His only objective is to make music that people enjoy listening to as much as he enjoys making it – everything else is a bonus.

At the top we have a submit track facility and these guys/gals took the time out to make some great chilled beats so take the time out to check on these artists and their story in the chilled lofi hiphop beats genre.

You can hear all these artists now in the radio stream.

Johnson Barnes (born April 15, 1983 in Inglewood, California), better known by the stage name Blu, is an American rapper and producer. In 2007 he released his debut album, “Below the Heavens”, which was produced entirely by Exile, one half of Emanon. Since then he has collaborated with Mainframe under the name Johnson&Jonson, and with Ta’Raach under the name C.R.A.C. Knuckles. He has also released several solo albums, most notably “HerFavoriteColo(u)r” (2009), “j e s u s” (2011) and “No York!” (2011). Furthermore, in 2009 he produced the Sene & Blu album “ADayLate&ADollarShort” and in 2011 he released a second album with Exile, “Give Me Flowers While I Can Smell Them”.
Blu is definitely a leader in the new school of Los Angeles emcees. His presence is undeniable, while his music captivates audiences regardless of race, class, and gender. He has been credited with taking LA hip hop back to the place where Freestyle Fellowship, Jurassic 5, and The Pharcyde left off.
With his cool-headed SoCal demeanor and everyman charisma, Blu was championed at the onset of his recording career when he collaborated with Emanon DJ/producer Exile for the highly acclaimed LP Below the Heavens (2007). Born Johnson Barnes in Inglewood, California, Blu, whose stepfather was a pastor, was very influenced by gospel and Christian rap when he was developing his MC skills in middle and high school. His musical turning point came when he first heard the Common classic “I Used to Love H.E.R.” (1994), as well as the Chicago MC’s third album, One Day It’ll All Make Sense (1997). From then onward, Blu abandoned his schoolyard freestyle frame of mind and dedicated his abilities to crafting well-written songs. As he started doing live performances, he paid his dues working as a hype man for several underground rap and soul artists, including Slum Village, Steve Spacek, Platinum Pied Pipers, and, of course, Emanon. His relationship with Exile and newfound mindset in making music pointed him toward signing with L.A. independent Sound in Color in 2004, which for the young MC meant brushing off interest from Interscope and Death Row.
Subsequently, he cut a few records for Exile’s Sound in Color album, Dirty Science (2006), recorded features for other L.A. artists, and self-pressed his Lifted EP in 2006. When Below the Heavens first hit shelves in August 2007, Blu and Exile were virtual unknowns in underground hip-hop, but Blu’s deft songwriting and Exile’s soul-drenched, Jay Dee-influenced production quickly amassed them a national audience. Below the Heavens ended up on many critics’ year-end lists and, particularly, launched Blu into the public hip-hop eye. Remaining independent, Blu later turned to Sound in Color labelmate and L.A.-via-Detroit MC/producer Ta’Raach (formerly known as Lacks) for the collaborative project C.R.A.C. Knuckles. Over the next five years, Blu released a total of seven albums and mixtapes, including 2011’s Open and Blu & Exile’s Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them in 2012. The previously unreleased albums Her Favorite Colo(U)r and NoYork! also finally saw proper release in 2013. ~ Cyril Cordor, Rovi
The underground Los Angeles-based duo of MC Blu (b. Johnson Barnes) and DJ/producer Exile (b. Aleksander Manfredi) earned widespread acclaim right out of the gate with their debut album, Below the Heavens (2007), which critics crowned as the seemingly perfect marriage of Blu’s everyday-struggle raps and Exile’s Pete Rock- and J Dilla-inspired production. Blu, struggling to make ends meet at the time, first crossed paths with Exile in the early to mid-2000s, while the rapper earned gigs as a hype man for various soul/hip-hop outfits like Slum Village, Platinum Pied Pipers, and Exile’s own duo, Emanon. In fact, Blu knew the other half of Emanon, MC/singer Aloe Blacc, who then introduced the two to each other. Deciding to sign to L.A. independent label Sound in Color, Exile’s label home, in 2004, Blu began cutting a few records with the DJ/producer and assisted him with his solo LP, Dirty Science (2006). Blu was still trying to break into the industry, but Exile was enjoying production credits for the likes of Jurassic 5, Kardinal Offishall, and Mobb Deep. The release of the soul-entrenched collaborative effort, Below the Heavens in August 2007, put them both in the limelight and had fans of the alternative rap scene buzzing; however, it specifically garnered Blu many “Artist to Watch” features in various magazine and online publications throughout the year and into 2008.

During subsequent years, they worked apart more than together; nevertheless, 2012 brought another co-billed LP, Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them. ~ Cyril Cordor, Rovi

So I took to reddit to ask for any one who wanted their tracks adding into that stream rotation and here are the chosen ones. These are fresh blood , new to the lofi scene and creating beats worthy of your attention.

In no particular order :

wun two is a fresh beatmaker from Europe , specifically Germany.

its been a while but his tracks still standup.

https://wuntwo.bandcamp.com/

Tuamie is a east coast beat maker. He has lots of self released to check out on his bandcamp.

J Dilla was an American record producer and rapper who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan as one third of the acclaimed music group Slum Village. According to his obituary at NPR, he “was one of the music industry’s most influential hip-hop artists”, working with big-name acts including A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, The Roots, The Pharcyde and Common. Yancey died in 2006 of the blood disease thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_Dilla

Madlib is an American DJ, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. He is one of the most prolific and critically acclaimed hip hop producers of the 2000s and has collaborated with different hip hop artists, under a variety of pseudonyms, including Madvillain, as well as the late J Dilla (as Jaylib). Madlib has described himself as a “DJ first, producer second, and MC last,”^[1][2] and he has done several projects as a DJ, mixer, or remixer.

http://www.rappcats.com/category/madlib/

Tomppabeats resides in Helsinki , Finland and has just finished a short tour of the USA.

https://tomppabeats.bandcamp.com/

why you delete interview

Christopher E. Martin (born March 21, 1966), better known as DJ Premier (or Primo by his fans, fellow musicians, and critics), is a prominent American hip hop producer and DJ, and the instrumental half of the duos Gang Starr and PRhyme.

Contrary to popular belief, he did not found nor even co-found Gang Starr.

He was introduced to DJing while attending school at Prairie View A&M in Houston, Texas. DJ Premier’s original stage name was Waxmaster C, the “C” taken from his first name, Chris, although he had already changed it to DJ Premier at the time he joined Gang Starr.

Considered by many fans to be one of the greatest hip hop producers, DJ Premier has produced countless tracks, for many groups and solo artists since the early 1990s. These include notable tracks for artists such as Jay-Z (“D’Evils”, “So Ghetto”), Big L (“The Enemy”), The Notorious B.I.G. (“Unbelievable”, “Kick In The Door”, “Ten Crack Commandments”), Nas (“N.Y. State of Mind”, “Nas Is Like”), Pitch Black (“It’s All Real”), M.O.P. (“Downtown Swinga”), Jeru the Damaja (“Come Clean”, “My Mind Spray”), KRS-One (“MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know”), Mos Def (“Mathematics”), Non Phixion (“Rockstars”), and Royce da 5’9″ (“Boom”).(Full list: djpremiertrackology.8kilo.com)

Collaborations

Outside of Gang Starr, some of Premier’s most lauded work is his collaborations with Jeru the Damaja and Group Home. With the former, Premier crafted one of the East Coast’s landmark albums in the form of The Sun Rises in the East, released in 1994. Their follow up to this, 1996’s Wrath of the Math, was regarded as a solid effort but not on par with its predecessor, although it did contain Jeru’s biggest hit to date, “Ya Playin’ Yaself”. Group Home’s Livin’ Proof (1995), although greatly overlooked at the time of its release, has eventually come to be critically acclaimed.

In 1994, DJ Premier collaborated extensively with jazz musician Branford Marsalis’s experimental group, Buckshot Lefonque, for their debut album. During the making of music video director, Hype Williams’ 1998 film, Belly, DJ Premier collaborated with neo soul leader D’Angelo for a song called “Devil’s Pie”, which was originally intended only for the film’s accompanying soundtrack. However D’Angelo soon changed his mind and decided to include the song on his sophomore album Voodoo (2000) In 2006 he co-produced Christina Aguilera’s Back To Basics album.

Samples

DJ Premier’s style of production epitomises the New York sound from his earlier peers. He is known for sampling jazz, funk, and soul artists, as well as sampling an artist’s past work, when he is creating a new track for that same artist. In addition, his photographic memory of rap lyrics allows him to distinctively “speak with his hands” by scratching in lyrics from several different songs to construct new phrases . Premier’s non-Gang Starr collaborations are well-known for his often-imitated signature of combining short vocal samples, often from multiple artists, to create a chorus. For example, for the chorus of Mos Def’s “Mathematics”, Premier cuts, in quick succession:

“The Mighty Mos Def…” (from Mos Def’s “Body Rock”),
“It’s simple mathematics” (from Fat Joe’s “John Blaze”),
“I revolve around science…” (from Ghostface Killah’s verse on Raekwon’s “Criminology”),
“What are we talking about here…” (unknown origin),
“Do your math..” (from Erykah Badu’s “On & On”), and
“One, two, three, four” (from James Brown’s “Funky Drummer”)
On certain artists’ work the vocal samples will all be vocal samples of the artist from the artists’ past work; “Nas Is Like” and “2nd Childhood” with Nas are two well-known examples of this.

On Jeru the Damaja’s “Physical Stamina,” however, Premier sampled and chopped up recordings of seminal electro-acoustic music from the 1960s.

Melodies

Premier usually creates a two-bar melody that repeats itself throughout the song. The aim of this is to showcase the MC’s skills by bringing focus away from the beat, while creating the song’s mood and a solid backdrop. Premier often changes speeds, filters and chops his breaks and adds scope to the melody with chimes and strings.

He has also shown innovation by playing rarely-used elements into a rap song (such as the xylophones on Biggie’s “Kick in the Door” or the ambient nature sounds on Nas’ “Nas is Like”), and his wide range of instruments (the piano loop on Jay-Z’s “D’Evils” versus the strings on Rakim’s “New York (Ya Out There?”) and production techniques (he played the melody backwards during the second half of Jay-Z’s “A Million and One Questions (Rhyme No More)”).

Drums

Premier’s drums have been known for complimenting his melodies. For example, during Nas’ “NY State of Mind”, two bars have a simple round of kicks and snares; in the following two, a complementing second set of drums plays out. This is repeated throughout.

Label ownership and future projects

DJ Premier currently owns two record labels. “Year Round Records” was founded in 2002 and has so far released several DJ Premier mixtapes as well as two 12″ vinyl singles for NYG’z and Blaq Poet. “Works Of Mart”, which is also the name of his publishing company, was founded in mid 2006 and released 12″ vinyl singles for artists Tef (aka Teflon) and F.A.B.I.D. (H. Stax and Mike Rone).

Since 2001, DJ Premier mentioned several times the plan to release a solo album entitled “A Man Of Few Words”, which has yet to be released. Other confirmed upcoming projects are a full-length colaboration with Nas, Blaq Poet’s long delayed album “The Best That Never Did It”, Tef’s (aka Teflon) long announced album “Contraband” and last but not least protegés NYG’z long delayed debut album “Pros and Cons”.

Rapper, DJ, and producer Pete Rock first emerged in 1991 as one half of a duo with C.L. Smooth, debuting with the All Souled Out EP. A hit LP, Mecca and the Soul Brother, followed before the two went their separate ways in the wake of 1994’s The Main Ingredient, with Rock remaining a prolific studio presence prior to the release of his solo debut, Soul Survivor, on Loud/RCA four years later. Dropped from the label, he continued his career as an independent producer, and later signed to Rapster/BBE in 2001 for PeteStrumentals. Two years later, the label released a two-part compilation of mid-’90s LPs with Lost and Found. In 2004, Rock produced the sequel to his debut, Soul Survivor II, with features coming from Pharaohe Monch, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, and former partner C.L. Smooth.

Preferring the role of Hip-Hop insider than hyped recording artist, DJ/Producer K-Def has kept a low profile in the game for a number of years. Earning critical praise for his early production work with Marley Marl on the classic album “Here Comes The Lords” by the group Lords Of The Underground. K-Def has steadily produced stellar Hip-Hop music for the world to bump their heads too.

With this opportunity K-Def carved out a defying discography. He has lent his production talents to artist such Tragedy (Intelligent Hoodlum), A.D.O.R., Da Youngstas, Real Live, World Renown, Positive K, and The Artifacts to name a few.

Mid-Ninties, having paid his dues, K-Def & Larry-O formed Real Live. They released an album aptly titled, The Turnaround: A Long Awaited Drama. His cousin Larry-O handled all the vocal production, and the duos complementary styles; were applauded by rap fans and critics. They created the underground smash ‘Real Live Shit”. K-Def has a blues/soul sampling style, which of late has come back in vogue, with current Hip-Hop artists.

A style he and other 1990’s Hip-Hop producers help solidify. Before his work had matured beyond 2000, his catalog had been sampled three times. The first time by Easy Mo Bee for “Machine Gun Funk” for The Notorious B.I.G., then by “Wildchild” for the club anthem “Renegade Master”, followed by a track called “Got Me Open” which was featured on Dr. Dre’s first release ..math Entertainment.

2004 K-Def kept his name relevant by producing the standout track, “Its Over” on the Ghostface Killah release, “The Pretty Toney Album” (Def Jam). He has kept the ball rolling by contributing tracks on other Ghostface project “Theodore Unit 718” and Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “The Osirus Mixtape”.

He was a contributor to El Da Sensei’s ’06 baby, “The Unusual”. In 2006, K-Def decided to work on an instrumental album called Willie Boo Boo”The Fool”, a tour-de-force in hip-hop production, he hopes it pleases his fans, who sit by the radio hoping that one of his tracks leak out. This is a first for K-Def, no rappers just the beats.

Keeping one ear to the underground, K-Def has always kept a hand in the mainstream. Def doesn’t strive for commercial success, but purity of form – a crazy ideology in today’s world, which pop culture; is Hip-Hop driven. Diddy cut the check for the ever popular “Shaft In Africa” sampled,”We Gon Make It,” in 2005. UGK then roped in ’80s Juice Crew legends, to help with the sticky sourthern funk of “Next Up”. A stand out track, which was featured on his instrumental opus “The Fool”.

Using virtual instruments since 1996, too craft his tracks. Def unleashed a scolding remix of Jay-Z’s “American Gangster.” Calling his “Real Live Gangster”, it has been internet certified and even bootleged. June 2008, sees Ghetto Man Beats releasing “Beats From The ’90s. A collection of beats collected off DAT tapes. Later in the fall, fans should perpare for the Real Live Gangster Instrumental album.

Born and raised in Washington DC, Damu The Fudgemunk has been building a loyal fanbase through his soulful, multi-layered beats, which he crafts using little more than an Akai MPC 2000, a huge record collection and a stack of floppy discs.

Damu is currently one half of the duo Y Society, along with Boston emcee Insight, and he also DJs for the group Panacea

While he’s mostly known and respected by his peers for his artistic talents, Damu is also a businessman: He releases his music via Redefinition Records, a label that he personally co-owns and operates.

You can download several free tracks or pick up some of Damu’s music on CD/Vinyl at http://www.redefinitionrecords.com or from his frequently updated blog, http://www.wonkabeats.com

Apani (in mid/late 90s known as Apani B-Fly Emcee) is a female MC from Hollis, Queens, New York. She is a founding member of the hip hop super-group Polyrhythm Addicts, along with fellow members DJ Spinna, Mr. Complex, and Shabaam Sahdeeq.

Apani emerged from New York City’s underground hip hop scene in the 90’s. Over the years, she has gained enough fame and status to work with some of the most revered names in hip hop music, including Da Beatminerz, DJ Spinna, AntiPop Consortium, Talib Kweli, and Pharoahe Monch. She has made a reputation for herself as a lyrical powerhouse and one of the best emcees to ever grace the mic – male or female.

Back in 1995 a 17-year-old MC took to the hip-hop scene in the UK. Armed only with a few demos and oblivious of how to prosper in the music industry, little did he know he would end up being one of the few pioneers of hip-hop in the UK.

Funky DL started earning props when his music received regular air play on stations such as Kiss FM, Choice FM and Radio one by the likes of veteran Jockeys such as DJ 279, Max LX and Dave VJ and Tim Westwood.

In 1996 Funky DL went on to win the well known Fosters Ice Breakers competition and released his first record The Individual, this consequently led to DL being firstly offered a two single deal with Almost records which developed further into an album deal with Almo Sounds and a publishing deal with Rondor Music.

Equipped with unlimited studio access, DL set about crafting his debut album Classic Was the Day. The album was released in the late summer of 1997 and was widely received by the UK’s hip hop fraternity and veered DL on to win a MOBO award for the best hip hop act of 1997.

In the same year Funky DL went on to remix records for artists such as Missy Elliott, Keith Sweat, Adina Howard, and Connor Reeves, as well as going on to spearhead The London All-stars project (a collaboration of London’s finest rappers) including MCD, Blak Twang, TY, Skinnyman, ESP, Kwestmann, Q-Tee, Phoebe One, Fallacy and Rodney P. This was a unique one of a kind release and stunned the scene as no record had ever before been released with such a high profiled caliber of rappers from the UK.

In 1998 DL signed to an independent label “Utmost Records” and released his sophomore album Heartfelt Integrity. Another MOBO nomination was presented which reflected DL’s consistency and helped him to further cement his name and efforts in the scene.

Funky DL went on to tour Australia, France and Israel, the latter being an unusual destination for rappers but was overwhelmingly received, returning to London to support the likes of The Roots, K-Ci & JoJo, Ras Kas, Killah Priest, and stole the show in front of 3,000 people at the Hippodrome Leicester Square from an early Destiny’s Child at the Choice FM 8th Birthday Party.

After a very rewarding year, DL left Utmost Records to run his own label Washington Classics and in 1999 Washington Classics released numerous Funky DL records including the 12-inch “Stoppin and Startin” which surprised many of DL’s critics because of the amazingly tight lyricism. DL released his third album “One Another” (a first for any rapper in the UK) which led to yet another MOBO nomination and propelled him to even greater heights, touring in Japan where his music was being so widely received.

Single-handed, Funky DL had earned himself the title of “the hardest working man in hip-hop”, now synonymous with his name. Another successful year saw DL support the superstar “Eminem” for his UK tour and was recalled in early 2000 to join Eminem and Dr. Dre in the Brixton Academy. 2000 also saw DL do his second tour of Japan and also fly out to New York to work with the rapper Miilkbone and also feature on Bobbito Garcia’s radio show along side N’Dea Davenport and hip hop heavyweight producer Easy Mo Bee…

Funky DL’s fourth album When Love Is Breaking Down was released which led to DL’s return to Japan for its promotion, Touching down at the infamous Club Harlem Shibuya Tokyo and making several public appearances in HMV stores in Tokyo and Yokohama for signing and performing tracks in store live.

DL spent the next few years expanding his name in Japan by licensing many albums to established labels and touring extensively in many cities across Japan such as, Tokyo, Osaka, Mito, Hamamatsu, Wakayama, Utsunomiya, Fukuoka, Kyoto, Sapporo, Gifu, Nagoya, Okayama, Yokohama and Akita. DL also used this period to write, produce for and record with his R&B outfit Thursdays Love. The Debut Thursdays Love album For the Love of Jazz and Thursdays was so well received in Japan it was re-released after being licensed by a major Label in Japan.

This led DL to go on to produce “Life When You’re Driving” a yet to be released album by R&B vocalist Dyanna Fearon featuring the incredible talents of Xantonè Blacq (Current Keyboardist for Amy Winehouse).

Funky DL then went on to New York to produce for an up and coming rapper from Far Rockaway Queens named Sekz, and featured with Sekz on The Showbiz and A.G single “The Street.” DL released his 5th and 6th albums Blackcurrent Jazz and The Classic Fantasy (The most vivid and vibrant Funky DL albums yet) which have been so widely received in Japan making DL one of the UK’s most unique international artists to date as no other UK hip-hop act has been able to equal Funky DL’s achievements from then till now..

In 2005 the album Street Love, which the UK smash “Little Mike” is taken from, was a special limited release, meanwhile the album Since 77 saw seen its Japanese release to co-inside with DL’s five date summer tour of Japan as well as the launch of the funkydl.com and website as DL started to prepare idea’s for what was to be the now evident The 4th Quarter album.

A Funky DL Greatest Hits album was released in Japan in 2006, marking DL’s many accomplishments and was well received followed by a Latin styled release of old titles re-recorded and remixed with fresh visions.

DL then took the fork in the road in late 2006 and once again decided to do something different by flying out to New York to clear his head and write what was to be Street Swagger. A 24 track promotional CD which was to be a completely free release for 2007 to celebrate 10 years since the birth of Washington Classics and also a decade since his first album emerged. The Washington Classics Street Team went out in the streets of London to circulate 10,000 CD’s in the capital at no charge as well as making 10,000 downloads available from the website again for no cost to the consumer and this promotion proved as an invaluable asset to DL’s whole outfit.

DL then intensively worked to complete the album The 4th Quarter, which he has himself remarked as one of his “greatest moments in his career creatively” as it embodies the 4 elements and styles which he specializes in. The album is segmented into 4 areas which represent soul, new age, jazz and authenticity and was a listening experience which intrigued even the most subtle of hip-hop heads there are.

In Early 2008 DL recorded a unique album entitled The Jazz That Was Forgotten, which was to be an album that concentrated on 10 musical instruments heavily used in Jazz where each track on the album was a representation of that instrument with the said instrument providing the prominent melody or break within the track. This album along with a best of album was released in Japan in September of 2008 and was met with great responses from hip-hop fans who appreciate the connoisseurship element to real music. In the meantime Funky DL co-wrote and produced an album entitled Imagine Me for UK sensation Lei-an and with the business experience he had picked up over the years, was the key player behind the project management of this release in November 2008.

The productivity didn’t stop there as DL went back into the studio to produce the album The Interview, released on BBE Records in 2009. The album concept structured as a radio interview with radio personality Dave VJ, where in between the tracks VJ asks DL a question and the very last words of DL’s answers are the titles of the proceeding track which often go on to elaborate on DL’s answer(s). The album was created to give the listener much more than just an album but an insight to DL’s thoughts, feelings and views on various music related topics as DL was aware that all the fans of his music are not always able to catch him on the radio and this serves as a highly interesting listen.

As a producer, DL was requested to submit some music for the famous MTV show “Runs House” and his contributions were aired in the final episode of season two “Baby Comes Home”

Funky DLAs no stranger to the studio DL started to work on a soulful dance music project with production collective Gemini Infinity and set about to craft the brilliant album LOVECHASEDREAM, which was immediately signed by a Japanese Record label and subsequently released in September of 2009. The project featured the creative talents of some of DL’s most favored collaborates including Xantonè Blacq, Giorgio Serci, Sienna, Dukus Alemay and Lei-an.

Again DL went straight back in the studio to produce The Comfort Zone, a new album by UK hip-hop artist Pyrelli, completely and solely produced by DL himself. This is the first “hip-hop” album Funky DL has ever produced for another MC and features a wider variation of his production styles than usual. At the same time DL produced a few track for “Little Brown Girl”, an up and coming R&B vocalist from East London as well as a few production credits for UK hip-hop sensation Klashnekoff for his forthcoming mix-tapes project.

DL then embarked on his first tour opportunity in Europe playing at “Banana Split” in Cologne, Germany in front of an audience at capacity and also The Merrker in Baden, Switzerland with surrounding European countries to follow.

Washington Classics then set up the release of “Funky DL / The Ultimate Collection”, a 36 track double CD encompassing the most favorable musical moments from DL’s entire history as a recording artist.

DL took a little twist in the road in January 2010 and recorded Back To Frank, an amazingly interesting conceptual album in which DL sampled moments from Grammy Award Winning artist Amy Winehouse and her debut album Frank, and recreated and reprogrammed these samples into a whole hip-hop album which was promoted as FREE online download to which the masses scooped up immediately with over 180,000 downloads to date.

In June 2010 DL then followed with Back To Rap, the sequel to Back to Frank, where he took on the creative sampling techniques lifting from Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black album and again released this as a FREE online download, but this time including features from various UK urban acts such as Pyrelli, MCD, and Addictive, to name a few.

Also in 2010 funky DL released of his next studio album entitled A Classic Example of a… and did a 3 date tour in Japan in August performing in Tokyo and Osaka. On top of this Funky DL has recorded with Japanese Producers Melodiverse and CM Smooth, featuring their production as well as his own for his 2011 album Blackcurrent Jazz 2, which he himself remarks as “one of my best albums if not the..”

Blackcurrent Jazz 2 was an instant success with rave reviews of the genuine creativity and polish that brings the album together in such a refined and mature way. Funky DL also released a 4 album instrumental series entitled Cool Classic Jazzstrumentals, which encompasses some of the smoothest beats from his catalogue. DL visited Shanghai, China for the first time in July 2011 for a performance at the Casio “G-Shock – Shock The World Tour” and in addition, has explored further into Europe, performing shows in Berlin Germany (Club Cassiopeia) in September 2011 and also (The Merkker) in Badan, Switzerland in October 2011.

The frightening thing about all of DL’s accolades is that he feels as if this is just the beginning… So in summing up… For a young man who at 19 scored a 5 album deal with no management, won a MOBO and was the only X3 consecutive UK hip-hop nominee period, remixing for well known acts, travelling the world touring and producing for underground and established acts, owning and running a respected record label dealing with main stay labels… at the age of just 33 you could agree.. DL is the about one of the greatest and successful hip-hop inspirations the UK could offer!!!!

Five Deez is an American hip-hop group based in Cincinnati, Ohio and a part of the Wanna Battle collective, which also includes DJ Hi-Tek, Talib Kweli, Rubix, and Lone Catalysts. Consisting of Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician (John Marshall), Pase Rock, Kyle David (a.k.a. Chilly Most), and Sonic, the group released their debut album, Koolmotor, in 2001 on the Counterflow/Grooveattack/Dimid record labels to positive reviews. In 2002, they released a Japan-only EP, Slow Children Playing on their current-to-date label, !K7; in 2003, they released their second successive LP, Kinkynasti, also to positive reviews.

Most recently, on February 26, 2006, Five Deez released Kommunicator.

Five Deez have also worked extensively with members of the Japanese hip-hop scene, as it has also gained a strong fanbase in the country. It has especially collaborated with Nujabes, Shing02, and Force of Nature; Fat Jon worked with all three in the production of the Samurai Champloo Soundtrack, which has earned for Fat Jon and Five Deez a new fanbase within the international anime fandom. Instrumentals from Koolmotor and Kinkynasti have been used for Adult Swim’s famous “bumps” between commercials.

The name “Five Deez” is a simplification of the term “fifth dimension”, which is the dimension where you experience music.

Substantial is synonymous with hip-hop, from the U.V. Ink label he launched, to the lyrical dexterity of his common-man flow. His debut solo album, To This Union A Sun Was Born (Hyde Out Productions), did well everywhere, especially in Japan where it hit the Top 10. This success set off a career touring Asia, Europe and almost all of North America.

As things got busier, Substantial linked with QN5 Music to focus solely on artistic creation. That led to profound collaborations with the legendary DJ Kool Herc, Bootsy Collins, Chew Fu, Cunninlynguists, Nujabes (R.I.P.) and an appearance on Bruce Kulick’s (of KISS) album with all-star rocker Gene Simmons. His videos have appeared on MTV, BET, and VH1, while his music has made it to the second round of Grammy voting in three categories. Even the renowned car company Bentley reached out to have Substantial’s supergroup FANOMM (with Chew Fu & J-Cast) create a song for them and perform in China at their car show.

Vogue Magazine included his duo’s music (Bop Alloy) in a recent playlist. Not bad for the Prince George’s County rapper and community activist: He builds recording studios for at-risk youth in conjunction with Covenant House, and raises money for school music programs in VH1’s Save The Music Series. For his newest album Home Is Where The Art Is (Mello Music Group), Substantial called upon Oddisee, an acclaimed musician who directed, mixed and contributed a large portion of the production. That’s just the start of things to come. No wonder they call him Substantial.

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BOOKING: tour@qn5.com
GENERAL INQUIRIES: info@qn5.com
OFFICIAL SITE: http://www.substantial-music.com

Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician (born John Marshall) is an American hip-hop producer and emcee from Cincinnati, Ohio and one of the four members of Five Deez, alongside Pase Rock, Sonic, and Kyle David (a.k.a. Chilly Most).

Jun Seba (瀬場潤 Seba Jun?, February 7, 1974 – February 26, 2010) was a Japanese hip hop producer and DJ who recorded under the name Nujabes (ヌジャベス Nujabesu?), the reverse spelling of his name in Japanese order. Nujabes mastered sampling to create music, digging frequently in latin music. Nujabes was also owner of the Shibuya record stores, T Records and Guinness Records and founder of the independent label Hydeout Productions. He died in a car accident on February 26, 2010.

[column size=one_half position=first ]

Luv(sic) Hexalogy

2015

Spiritual State

2011

Hydeout Productions 2nd Collection

2007

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Modal Soul

2005

Samurai Champloo Music Record: Impression

2004

Samurai Champloo Music Record: Departure

2004

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The music of Nujabes and other hip-hop artists played a major role in the anime series Samurai Champloo, which is set in a world full of anachronisms, blending elements of hip-hop culture into Edo period Japan. The mash-up of styles is similar to director Shinichirō Watanabe‘s prior series, Cowboy Bebop (prev), though the earlier series blended space travel, westerns and 1940s-60s jazz. The hip-hop/samurai blend of Samurai Champloo ran for 26 episode, and the series premiered in Japan on May 20, 2004, and an English dub of the series premiered in the United States on the Adult Swim anime block on May 14, 2005. Since then, the series has also aired in the United Kingdom, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and Germany. You can catch it streaming online, available both subbed and dubbed. Every episode opened with “Battlecry”, an edited version of the track by Nujabes and Shing02. The music for the show by Nujabes and others was collected in four CDs (Impression, Playlist, Masta and Departure) for release in Japan, and boiled down to one CD for the US.

Besides these works, Nujabes made at least three mixtapes: Sweet Sticky Things, for the fans of slower love songs (YT split: Side A parts 1b, 2, 3 (missing), 4 and 5; Side B parts 1, 2 (muted), 3, 4 and 5) the Ristorante Nujabes Mixtape (YT Split: Side A parts 1, 2, 3, 4and 5; Side B parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), and Hyde Out Sound Lab mixtape with DJ RYOW (of ShinSight Trio).

Hip hop was previously known as a style of music that produced either groundbreaking pieces of conceptual art or instrumentals from a specific album, such as Dr. Dre’s 2001: Instrumentals Only. What this new, underground movement presents in the genre is a wave of DIY beat-makers producing lo-fi and often nostalgic pieces of instrumentals with either soul or hip-hop vocals. The strong dividing line between initial and recent incarnations of instrumental hip-hop is that this new movement features a heavy use of conceptual and anaesthetised nostalgia with an alternative/lo-fi edge rather than produced commercialism. If indie bedroom pop producers decided to turn to sample-based music, this experimental anti-strain of hip hop would most likely be their drug of choice.

Notable musicians involved with this movement include Nujabes, TMCT, BRRD, SENSEI HIMSELF, TOP$, as well as the entire roster featured on EL SERENO RECORDS. These producers and independent collectives all share a stylistic similarity within their lo-fi sound and nostalgic imagery. This obscure, unidentified strain of instrumental hip hop can be described as both a movement and a redefinition of its initial concepts and themes. Surrounded by tape hiss and VHS fuzz, this reincarnation of the genre is by far the most groundbreaking and thematically brilliant change hip-hop’s had in years. “Our ambition should be to rule ourselves, the true kingdom for each one of us,” Oscar Wilde once wrote. “And true progress is to know more, and be more, and to do more.”

This movement’s artistic definition seems to be private among the artists themselves, yet hard to associate, this fresh, new concept is easily identifiable while endlessly scrolling through the YouTube channel thanksforloitering, which has played a major role in bringing some of the movement’s most important artists into the social media mainstream. Pairing art-collage-esque visuals of old action movies, ‘90s hip hop shows, interviews, music videos, and various break-dancing footage with songs by the artists listed above in the second paragraph, the best way to fully realize and grasp this movement’s aesthetic is by visiting this vitally important channel – effortlessly highlighting the fact that this is hip-hop’s answer to punk in the digital age.

Whether the musicians realise it or not, the intentions and fleshed-out concept of this movement is still widely recognizable. TMCT first grabbed our attention in early 2014 with the release of SNOW BEACH VOL. 01 (MMJ Review), which was later reissued on cassette via boundary-pushing netlabel bootleg tapes. Shortly after, BUBBLE GOOSE was equally impressive – carrying the same weight channeled through dusty, lo-fi vinyl samples, breakbeats, and interpretations of ‘90s boom bap classics. TMCT is certainly the most accessible yet enjoyable artist from this movement to listen to. His compositions are often jazzy and brilliantly capture some of the rawest and most intricate details of this avant-garde approach to rap instrumentals.

If there’s anything that beautifully captures the essence of the recently booming cassette tape-revival phase in contemporary DIY culture, it’s this movement which solely relies on tape releases to carry the weight of the musical style’s processed, lo-fi aesthetic. If artists like J Dilla and Madlib hinted at hip-hop culture in their songs, then producers such as TMCT, SENSEI HIMSELF, jalen, Ohbliv, and JAMES MATTHEW fully embrace it.